Responding to the Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy Select Committee's report on carbon capture, usage and storage, David Smith, Chief Executive of Energy Networks Association, says:
"We strongly welcome the Committee’s findings, especially the need for Government to outline clear steps and targets to match its policy ambitions, prioritise the production of low-carbon hydrogen, and fast-track commercial scale CCUS projects from 2023.
"This technology is critical to tackling our greatest challenges including widespread deployment of low-carbon hydrogen to decarbonise heat and transport. A ‘whole systems’ approach to decarbonisation is needed, which facilitates hydrogen as well as smart hybrid systems and electrification.
"Britain’s gas networks are at the forefront of projects which demonstrate the potential for hydrogen or hydrogen blends to be injected into the grid with minimal disruption to households and businesses. Energy Networks Association’s new Gas Pathways Decarbonisation project is building on this work to maximise progress on ‘greening the gas grid’.
"ENA is also working closely with Government and regulators to address known barriers to hydrogen deployment, and welcomes the Committee’s recommendation to safely and quickly bring forward amendments to two gas management regulations.”
Notes to editor
- ENA’s full submission to the BEIS Select Committee inquiry into carbon, capture, usage and storage can be viewed here.
- ENA's Gas Decarbonisation Pathways Project is a major industry initiative to build on the work that Britain’s gas networks have been undertaking to build a low cost, low carbon network and develop new technologies that make the most of biogas, bioSNG, hydrogen and smart hybrid heating systems. More information is available here.
- Amendments to the Gas Safety Management Regulations and the Gas Control of Thermal Energy Regulation, subject to the safety case being proven, would enable safe levels of hydrogen to be transported via the existing gas grid with minimal disruption to households and businesses.
- HyDeploy, being delivered by a consortium including Cadent and Northern Gas Networks, is preparing to carry out live tests of a blend of up to 20% hydrogen with natural gas from summer 2019 to reduce carbon emissions from cooking and heating.
About us
Energy Networks Association (ENA) is the industry body representing the energy networks. Our members include every major electricity network operator in the UK. The electricity networks are at the heart of the energy transition. They directly employ more than 26,000 people in the UK, including 1,500 apprentices. They are spending and investing £33bn in our electricity grids over the coming years, to ensure safe, reliable and secure energy supplies for the millions of homes and businesses reliant on power every day.
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